Arkansas Congressional Delegation weighs in on Syria

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Many U.S. lawmakers went to work over the Labor Day holiday with possible military action in Syria on the table. President Obama has said he wants the U.S. to get involved, but that he will seek approval from Congress before making his final decision.

U.S. Representative Tom Cotton went on the record Monday saying a rejection of President Obama's request to take action would weaken the presidency in the eyes of the world. Cotton said he supports U.S. involvement, but only through "effective and decisive" action.

Meanwhile, Senator Mark Pryor said Monday that the President needs to explain what America's interest would be in attacking Syria. Representative Steve Womack agrees with Pryor. In aninterview with CBS affiliate KFSM over the weekend, Womack said he would vote no on any involvement of U.S. troops on the ground in Syria, saying he could support missile attacks as long as U.S. interests are clearly defined, and the President is able to gather coalition support.

"The world is watching," said Senator John Boozman in a statement released on Friday. "Our response needs to be strong, but it also needs to be smart. Assad clearly is a tyrant by any standard, and we need to work with the international community toward removing him from power."

On Saturday, Representative Tim Griffin released this statement:

"The President has a lot of work to do to convince Arkansans and me that U.S. military action is appropriate in this instance."

Then, on Sunday, Representative Rick Crawford said on Twitter that he attended a classified briefing on the situation in Syria. His following tweet went on to say "I continue to believe it's imperative for Administration to explore and pursue alternatives to immediate unilateral military action."

It's likely lawmakers will not vote on any action in Syria until they reconvene from recess late next week. Meanwhile, Russia has said it plans to send a delegation to Washington to lobby lawmakers against supporting U.S. strikes in the Middle East.